Our holdings include hundreds of glass and film negatives/transparencies that we've scanned ourselves; in addition, many other photos on this site were extracted from reference images (high-resolution tiffs) in the Library of Congress research archive. (To query the database click here.) They are adjusted, restored and reworked by your webmaster in accordance with his aesthetic sensibilities before being downsized and turned into the jpegs you see here. All of these images (including "derivative works") are protected by copyright laws of the United States and other jurisdictions and may not be sold, reproduced or otherwise used for commercial purposes without permission.

I have never seen this picture by Hine. This is brilliant, everything about this picture just captures me! The look of pure disgust and determination on the boys faces just kills me! There is something about the way the way Hine decided the capture them in this triangular formation with the point coming at the viewer. The dirt and grime that covers the boys as well adds another dimension to the work. The position and the way Shorpy is holding his harms along with his gang of followers behind him make it seem as if they are going to come out of the picture and attack. They are ready for anything that anyone throws at them, on moment away from strike! Once again this is fabulous!

"Perhaps you are weary of child labor pictures. Well, so are the rest of us, but we propose to make you and the whole country so sick and tired of the whole business that when the time for action comes, child labor pictures will be records of the past."

Before reading "What We Think We Know" about Shorpy, I assumed, from Hine's caption, that Shorpy was younger than 14, and lying in order to work. But he was born in 1896, so at the time of this picture he WAS 14! I am very glad to know that Shorpy was telling the truth.

They all look set with grim determination. It's a character asset that not many of today's youth share. Considering what people went through back then I would wonder if it's even appropriate to call them "kids". Pictures like this really make me consider that ... Thanks for posting these!

Shorpy.com | History in HD is a vintage photo blog featuring thousands of high-definition images from the 1850s to 1950s. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago.